OneMinutesJr. Workshop Za'atari: Part 3 - Lights, Camera, Action!

The OneMinutesJr. gives youth the opportunity to have their
voices heard by creating one minute videos that share their
ideas, dreams, fascinations, anxieties and viewpoints on the
world. The OneMinutesJr. held a workshop in Zaatari refugee camp,
Jordan 18-23 January 2014. ReadPart OneandPart Two.

Finally a full day of filming! There’s a lot to film, but we have
a bit of extra time because the screening is not until the 6th
day.

13-year-old Oday used to love swimming back in Syria. There was
no swimming pool in his house, but he used to swim in the bath
with his cousins. This is something that he misses very much, but
it’s not something he can do in the camp, as there is no swimming
pool there. A man built a small one a while ago, but he couldn’t
keep it operating. But one of his beliefs is to see the world in
a different way, so he uses his imagination to find a way to
swim. So Oday and his friends visit the former, empty pool and
take the plunge in their own way. Watch it.

Like many of the kids, Rane (16) loves his country. His heart is
full of love and he expresses this very poetically, in the form
of a love letter. But how do love letters get to their
recipients, especially when the writer lives in a refugee camp?
We form a long chain of delivery, from his writing, through
various hands and locations, and finally over the barbed wire
fence. And of course, there is the always the chance to watch it online.

Another full day of filming, but we’re not quite finished yet, so
we still film on the fifth day.

In order to get more kids involved, we like to have films that
engages lots of hands. Since so many kids enjoyed creating the
sets, we put them to work painting a mural. The mural reflects
many of the beautiful things the kids miss in Syria – trees,
flowers, fresh fruits, etc… The kids paint it over the course of
a few hours on the side of one of the schools in the camp. Not
only does it make a beautiful film, but the group has left a
colorful art work for the school’s students. Watch it.

Finally, all the films are completed and it’s time to move on to
editing. The video artists sit one-on-one with the youth
directors to map out their films. There are final edits to
complete and music and titles to think about. The participants
are excited about the editing part, since they’re finally seeing
a version of their film and getting how the process has turned
their ideas into something they can watch. As the day comes to an
end, it is proving hard for the kids to go home, since they are
having so much fun. It is, of course, a refuge from their daily
life, so it’s not surprising. There are a few final edits to
finish in the morning, but the kids go home, mostly ready for
their films to be screened.

On the sixth day, after finalizing the remaining films with the
last few participants, we are ready for the screening. We’re
running the program in a child-friendly space run by Mercycorps.
The “theater” is a very large, colorful tent, with a floor lined
with turf and colorful pendants hanging from the walls. It’s
known as “Dreamworld,” and shows children’s films almost daily.
It’s the perfect spot to celebrate these colorful films.

There are many kids in attendance and some parents have also
come. The back of the room is lined with NGO staff to watch their
colleagues featured in the NGO movie. All of the films are met
with hollering and whistling – no movie finishes without a
raucous round of applause and exclamations. The participants are
thrilled with their films. Before the screening, many of the kids
were worried that their videos wouldn’t be good, or that they
were not as good as their fellow makers. But now, they are all
pleased with their films, and proud of their work.

It is hard to say goodbye, even more so than other workshops,
since we know this experience has been a bit of freedom for them
that is now ending. The youth are so appreciative of their
experience and it’s been very special to help them give voice to
some of the things they are feeling there in Zaatari camp.
Watch all the movies from this
workshop.